ABSTRACT
Objective: To explain the objectives, methodology and basic results of a study of oral health in adults who demanded services from dental clinics at a public university in Mexico.
Methods: A cross-sectional study included 1273 subjects aged 18 and over who visited a public university in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico to receive dental care. A series of sociodemographic, socioeconomic and related oral health indicator were collected using questionnaires, and an oral examination was conducted on each patient. The oral health indicators included: a previous experience of oral pain, dental health services utilisation (DHSU), self-reported oral health status (SROHS), different states of tooth loss (TL), self-reported TL (SRTL), and frequency of dental brushing. The analysis was performed using Stata 11.
Results: The average age of the participants was 37.22 ± 14.67 years, and 60.0% were women. Oral pain was higher in those aged 45–59 years (p < 0.001) and among women (p < 0.001). In terms of DHSU, no differences were observed as a function of age (p > 0.05), and men performed the most DHSU (p < 0.001). SROHS was reported as “good/very good” more frequently among younger participants (p < 0.001); no differences were observed as a function of sex (p > 0.05). We observed statistically significant differences in the distribution of the different levels of TL and in SRTL by age (p < 0.001) and by sex (p < 0.01). The frequency of brushing diminished with age (p<0.001), but we did not observe differences according to sex (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: This epidemiological information of some indicators of oral health in Mexican adults can help to plan strategies of oral health care.
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